CD Review: Unisonic – Light of Dawn

CD Review: Unisonic – Light of Dawn

Armoury Records

All Access Rating: A-

Unisonic - Light of Dawn 2014

Some of the parts used in the creation of Unisonic were salvaged from power-metal titans Gamma Ray and Helloween. Others were pried off of fellow German metal machine Pink Cream 69.

Add guitarist Mandy Meyer, more of a six-string mercenary who's worked with the likes of Krokus and pop-prog giants Asia, to the mix, and suddenly, a supergroup is born. This one has a flair for the dramatic.

On the heels of an EP titled For the Kingdom that was released in May comes the bombastic Armoury Records offering Light of Dawn, a thunderous power-metal epic with a touch of glam that's brimming with melodic grandeur, trampling blast beats, theatrical vocals and surgical guitar strikes.

The sophomore release from singer Michael Kiske, guitarist Kai Hansen, Meyer and a rhythm section consisting of bassist Dennis Ward and drummer Kosta Zafiriou – household names in the world of power-metal – rides like the valkyries through stirring anthems "Venite 2.0," "Your Time Has Come," "For the Kingdom" and "Blood" with pummeling urgency, soaring majesty and molten metal riffs and searing solos that take no prisoners. Darkly stylish, with tightly woven strands of dual guitar wrapped around the song's body, "Night of the Long Knives" is caught in between beautifully arranged ballads, namely "Not Gonna Take Anymore," with its building emotions, and a rather medieval "Find Shelter."

Finishing with a flourish, as metallic, fast-paced power surges take over and big hooks are brandished like scythes, Light of Dawn could be less predictable and not as beholden to the past, but such criticisms shrink in the face of Kiske's dynamic, wind-swept vocals and Unisonic's rousing spirit. A new day is dawning for power metal. Awaken to the light of Unisonic.
– Peter Lindblad

CD Review: Gamma Ray – Empire of the Undead

CD Review: Gamma Ray – Empire of the Undead
Armoury Records

Gamma Ray - Empire of the Undead 2014

All Access Rating: A-

Wailing to the heavens, as only he can in that dramatic voice of his, the one that once led Helloween to such great heights, Kai Hansen declares, "It's up to you to be forgotten" in the surging symphonic-metal fantasy "Avalon" that serves as the gateway to the Armoury Records release Empire of the Undead, the new album from German power-metal legends Gamma Ray.

Always a potent mix of speed and bombast, Gamma Ray has no intention of being relegated to the dustbins of metal history, not after adding an LP as memorable as Empire of the Undead to their esteemed catalog.

Abandoning any pretense of subtlety, Gamma Ray lets it all hang out on the gloriously operatic "Avalon," a 9:22 shape-shifting theater of magic, deceit and heroism that consists of epic storytelling, soaring strings and powerful, melodic surges of guitars, drums and bass that eventually turns into an angry tempest. The rumbling evil and dark, pounding riffs of "Demonseed" drive a complex tale of a demonic presence looking to spread pain and suffering throughout the earth, while the high-flying "Seven" – reminiscent of Iron Maiden's "Run to the Hills" – takes an elevator down to hell, as Hansen gives a particularly devilish soliloquy. It's a captivating vocal performance that Hansen gives on Empire of the Undead, as he relishes the chance to assume different roles.

Not always so theatrical, Empire of the Undead doesn't end there. The title a transparent nod to Judas Priest, "Hellbent" is a fast, thrashing ode to the greatness of heavy metal, and it is not only sincere, but also absolutely thrilling, as is the equally fast and furious title track, its guitars full of venom that spreads into the hard-charging "Pale Rider."

Full of diverse compositions, stampeding blast beats, aggressive guitars and dynamic shredding, and Hansen's unique and utterly compelling vocal phrasing, Empire of the Undead is completely over the top and runs on pure adrenaline, that is until Gamma Ray tries to be Queen on the overly earnest "Time for Deliverance." That's when this Empire falls, until revived again by the explosive power-metal back draft of closer "I Will Return." Here's hoping Gamma Ray also comes back again.
– Peter Lindblad

CD Review: Andi Deris and the Bad Bankers – Million Dollars Haircuts on Ten Cent Heads

CD Review: Andi Deris and the Bad Bankers – Million Dollar Haircuts on Ten Cent Heads

Armoury/earMusic

All Access Rating: A-

Andi Deris and the Bad Bankers -
Million Dollar Haircuts on
Ten Cent Heads 2014

The Occupy Wall Street movement has a sympathizer in Helloween singer Andi Deris. Disgusted by the obscene, unchecked greed and corruption of a diseased banking institution that's somehow escaped punishment for its sins against humanity, Deris' anger is palpable on his first solo album since 1999, recorded with his band, the aptly named Bad Bankers. 

A hard-hitting protest record that gets in the gutter with its subject matter and beats it with brass knuckles, Million Dollar Haircuts on Ten Cent Heads has a grimy, contemporary metal edginess and visceral crunch that fuels his rage against fat cats and tyrants. At heart, though, Deris is still a power-metal proselytizer, prone to sculpting melodic curves out of walls of guitars and crushing rhythms to make dramatic statements in the sweeping "EnAmoria" and the equally expansive "Must Be Dreaming."

Nevertheless, with its brawling guitar riffs and sneering vocals, the punishingly heavy opener "Cock" doesn't mince words, couching its indignation in thick, grinding machinations, before the prowling, seething grooves of "Banker's Delight (Alive or Dead)" express their frustration in a particularly vicious manner. Embracing nu metal samples and other production enhancements that bands like the Deftones and Korn make such effective use of, Deris and his rabble-rousers raise hell in a dark, blustery "Blind" that turns moody and watery, as does "Who Am I." More scathing, "Don't Listen to the Radio (TWOTW 1938)" is straightforward traditional metal with a hooky chorus and driving, slightly scratched-up guitars, and it's a song of sturdy construction and strong opinions, the kind that leads to fist-pumping and other expressions of rebellion.

Even if all it amounts to is street-level sound and fury that, although it does actually signify something, never comes close to reaching deaf ears in corporate boardrooms, hearing Deris' impassioned, well-articulated call to arms is, if nothing else, a direct and forceful shock to a financial system desperately in need of an overhaul. And Deris is in fine voice, expressive, charismatic and wide-ranging, clearly warming to the task he's undertaken, and sounding especially vital when he gets his dander up. http://www.eagle-rock.com/; http://www.ear-music.net/en/news/
– Peter Lindblad

Gamma Ray almost finished building 'Empire of the Undead'

Power-metal band's upcoming record saved from a fire

The star-crossed eleventh studio album from power-metal giants Gamma Ray is almost finished, and that, in and of itself, is something of a miracle.

Christened Empire of the Undead, the record almost didn't see the light of day. Throughout 2013, with Eike Freese doing the mixing, bass player and co-writer Dirk Schlaechter worked on the record, but when the band landed in South America while on tour with Helloween, Kai Hansen and company got some bad news. Here's a video update from Gamma Ray:

Their home, their rehearsal space and a meeting place for many metal bands throughout Germany, otherwise known as Hammer Studio, had burned to the ground. Everything was in ruins, everything except tapes of the nearly-finished new studio album.

Stunned by the disastrous turn of events, Gamma Ray wasn't about to wave any white flag, as Hansen said in a recent press release updating progress on the record.

"If this could not stop us, nothing ever will," joked Hansen. "We got rid of a lot of shit that we gathered there. Unfortunately, a lot of good equipment as well. Anyhow, we look towards the future, we saved the production and we can continue now in this new place. By mid-January we should be done with the work on this album."

As Gamma Ray is wont to do, they've charged into the breach with a racing and dramatic title track that also appeared on the single/EP Master of Confusion, which was released last year as a teaser for the upcoming full-length.

Due out this late this spring in North America, Empire of the Undead will be released on CD, LP and digitally via Armoury Records in conjunction with earMusic. More details are forthcoming. 

To get more on Gamma Ray, visit http://www.gammaray.org/. Also, please visit http://www.ear-music.net/en/news/ and http://eaglerockent.com/.

CD Review: Helloween – Straight Out of Hell: Premium Edition

CD Review: Helloween – Straight Out of Hell: Premium Edition

The End Records

All Access Review: B+

Helloween - Straight Out of Hell 2013

The Tim Burton-style cover should have been a dead giveaway, hinting at the distinct possibility of Straight Out of Hell being one of the most cinematic and expansive records in the Helloween canon. This being their 14^th studio album, Straight Out of Hell is rife with war imagery, uplifting messages, cosmological exploration, angry recrimination, and in one instance, a Utopian tale of a doomed imaginary empire … oh, and there’s also a love ballad, a sweeping epic really titled “Hold Me In Your Arms” that Hollywood ought to snatch up before investing in another one of Nicholas Sparks’ cloying romances.

Certainly, no one can accuse the veteran Germanic power-metal outfit of repeating thematic lyrical patterns. Still lightning fast and intent on constructing increasingly grandiose arrangements, Helloween balances heavy, mauling riffage and speedy, mind-bogglingly complex guitar solos and twin leads with mellifluous melodies here. All this, plus Dani Loble’s blinding drums and Helloween’s flair for unexpectedly fluid dynamic shifts are on display on tracks like “Burning Sun,” the piano-laden “Waiting for the Thunder” and the hook-filled “Far From the Stars.”

This is classic Helloween, always willing to switch galloping speed-metal horses mid-stream and go for the throat, as triumphant anthems “Live Now!” and “Another Shot of Life” are shot through with undying optimism and fist-pumping choruses – as well as whirling keyboards, slickly executed tempo changes and churning guitars. On the other hand, “World of War” washes radiance over trampling, trudging death-metal rhythms, while the exotic, charging, head-spinning sand storm “Nabataea” should be splashed across the silver screen – in 3D, of course. Straight Out of Hell’s most interesting and gripping track, the massive “Nabataea,” so reminiscent of Iron Maiden, is also one of its most diverse, with gentle, scenic descents and majestic, breathtaking climbs onward and upward well past where eagles dare.

An absorbing sonic experience from beginning to end, even if the simplistic and bitter “Asshole” seems beneath them, Straight Out of Hell: Premium Edition is not a game-changer for Helloween. Nevertheless, it does find Helloween attempting to perfect their dramatic, shock-and-awe formula, blowing away audiences with dazzling musicianship and bombastic instrumental flourishes, the occasional daring trespass into prog-rock, ambitious songwriting from Markus Grosskopf, Michael Weikath, Andi Deris and guitarist Sascha Gerstner, and the ability to weave fantastical tales made for the widescreen. (theendrecords.com)

-        –    Peter Lindblad